


for those who fell in love alone

by sapphfics



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, Maleficent (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Femslash, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 09:31:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21177218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphfics/pseuds/sapphfics
Summary: She expects to still go on feeling nothing but an  overwhelming sense of numbness when announcing Aurora’s arrival. Until she actually sets eyes on her, finally. The word beauty does not do her justice, though Gerda cannot think of a word that would. Radiant, perhaps. Stunning.Or: In which Gerda is enchanted by the Queen of the Moors, Aurora.





	for those who fell in love alone

**Author's Note:**

> [this is gerda and i love her even though they never said her name in the movie](https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Gerda)

Gerda had heard of Aurora before meeting her, of course. No one could stop talking about her. The famous Sleeping Beauty, who had not even attended her beloved father King Stefan’s funeral, who had offered up her father’s castle to commoners, who had been raised by fae. An anomaly amongst those of nobility. Still, everyone in the whole Kingdom and beyond had listened enraptured to Queen Ingrid’s tale of the comatose princess and the evil sorceress whom had cursed her as a baby and the bravery of her son whom had kissed the sleeping girl and awaken her with true love’s kiss, and had harshly hushed Phillip whenever he tried to speak of his perspective on the matter. Eventually, Phillip stopped trying to voice his opinion. 

And of course, Prince Phillip had spoken of Aurora. Never shut up about her. Gerda often wonders the palace alone, and has heard him. Gerda has even walked in on him singing of her, once. It was a song she had never heard before. Something from her kingdom, that they sang the day of her fateful christening. Everyone called it bad luck, after the curse. But it’s surprisingly catchy, so much so that Gerda finds herself humming it whether Queen Ingrid isn’t within earshot, which is rather often. She wants to play it on a piano, to sing it, to sing with Phillip again. She can’t, though, because if Ingrith saw her playing the christening song of the Queen of the Moors she would smash her fingers with Gerda’s own hammer. She would usually find the constant chatter of Phillip’s endless love annoying, but Phillip had been a rather lonely boy and a small part of her was glad to see him so deliriously in love.

Because that is all love was to Gerda. A delirium that kills you when you have it, and when you don’t. Intoxicating and dangerous. Not meant for girls like her who had to claw their way up in the world and would happily stab out the guts of anyone who stood in her way. 

She expects to still go on feeling nothing but an overwhelming sense of numbness when announcing Aurora’s arrival. Until she actually sets eyes on her, finally. The word beauty does not do her justice, though Gerda cannot think of a word that would. Radiant, perhaps. Stunning.

Though she is standing in the corner, cast in shadows, she isn’t meant to be listening to this dinner. But Gerda finds her eyes wondering to Aurora, her golden crown left back at the Moors, her sunlit hair tumbling down her back. Why is she noticing her? What is she doing? What is happening to her? 

“And-“ And she looks up to notice that Aurora is smiling at her. Not at Ingrith or Phillip or at the King. At her. “What of you, my lady?”

“Gerda is not a lady,” Queen Ingrith snaps back. “She is my chief advisor and not of your interest. You would do well to learn whom you should speak to, Aurora.”

“I speak to everyone, no matter their rank,” Aurora states calmly. “Gerda, please, join us. I would be glad to meet you.” 

Maleficent’s man friend moves to make room for her and pats the seat beside him and tries to smile, too, but his mouth resembles a beak. 

“Alright,” Gerda responds. “Thank you, Queen Aurora.”

“You forget your own Queen, Gerda?” Queen Ingrith asks pointedly. 

Gerda chooses to ignore her and thinks she catches a ghost of Maleficent’s chuckle. 

Gerda imagines kissing Aurora and eats as much rich food as she can stomach. Aurora speaks to her more and more, and she must not notice how much it bothers Ingrith. 

If she lets me go, I can run to the Moors. Gerda thinks. They will accept me there, won’t they? Aurora will accept me as I am? 

Phillip is forgotten. The Queen is forgotten. The engagement is forgotten. Soon, all she is focused on is Aurora. All that matters is Aurora. 

She and Aurora’s relentless chatter is enough to drown out the Queen’s attempts to make Maleficent lash out, somehow. 

Aurora may not have a drop of fairy blood in her, but she certainly carries their charm. She must, or else Gerda might not be so fixated on her. 

“I will be glad to see you again,” Aurora says, honestly, and Gerda grins back at her for the first time in years. 

Aurora clutches Gerda’s hand until she is forced to let go. 

“Aurora,” Gerda calls and Aurora turns back. “I know you have only known me for an evening but I need you to trust me. Ingrith wants me to kill your mother. I won’t. She hates fairies. I don’t have time to explain. Please, hurry back home, you aren’t safe here.”

She expects Aurora to gasp or cry or scream, but Aurora only sighs heavily. “Maleficent expected as much. It seems everyone hates fairies. Thank you for warning me, Gerda. What of Phillip? I will see you again? If you can’t come with me?” 

Phillip kisses his bride to be before she goes, and Gerda contemplates shooting him instead. She and Maleficent lock eyes and it seems the feeling is mutual, if not for the same reasons. 

“The Queen won’t hurt her son, and I will be of better use to you at the Queen’s side. But of course you’ll see me again.”

“And she won’t hurt you?”

“No,” Gerda foolishly promises. She watches Aurora leave, and goes to go to the tower and fires an iron arrow into a cloud. It hits a bird, right in the neck. 

“Where is her head?” Queen Ingrith demands.

Gerda sighs the same way Aurora did. “I missed.” 

Gerda leaves the castle three nights later and swims across the river to the Moors, and Aurora drags her out of the river and puts a towel over her shoulders and never lets go of her hand. 

Betraying Queen Ingrith was worth the feeling of Aurora’s soft hand in hers.

**Author's Note:**

> i’m fairly sure i’m the only person who was shipping this lol....i kept waiting for her redemption but it didn’t happen anyway welcome to this bullshit i’m sorry this exists. i hope you liked this if you read it lmfao might write more idk i wrote this so fast and saw the movie a few hours ago and nearly cried four times


End file.
